Dire Straits • Dire Straits
 oes
the world really need another edition of Dire Straits’s 1978 double-platinum-selling
debut album? Original pressings on the Vertigo and Warner Brothers labels abound, and
Robert Ludwig’s 2000 digital remaster provides a good dollop of the vinyl's warmth
and dynamics. Until recently, I would’ve said that enough is enough. But one listen
to Mobile Fidelity’s brand-new 45rpm remaster demonstrates that the "Original
Master Recording" of this title is packed with sonic surprises and deeply moving
musical details that even hundreds of my previous listening sessions failed to unlock.
It's now hard to imagine returning to the originals.
The gripping performance energy and palpable space on Mobile Fidelity’s version pull off a miracle that only the best vinyl can -- the listener is transported to another time and place. It’s a cold winter’s night in London and you’re nestled in a studio with a group of musicians who are clicking with goose-bump-inducing improvisational guitar flourishes and “in the pocket” rhythm lines that make it impossible to sit still. On the opening cut, “Down to the Waterline,” Mark Knopfler’s ingenious guitar-chord/volume pedal imitation of a boat’s fog horn and engine rumble are even more reminiscent of the real thing. But when drummer Pick Withers, bassist John Illsley and rhythm guitarist David Knopfler burst into sonic view, this remaster’s real strength is revealed. This album captures a band of incredibly talented musicians, not just a fretboard virtuoso with a supporting act in tow. On subsequent tracks like “Six Blade Knife,” Wither’s chest-thumping kick drum and Illsley’s dead-steady downbeat provide the necessary weight to drive home Knopfler’s clever wordplay and razor-sharp string work. For the uninitiated, Mark Knopfler’s unmistakable sound was made possible in part by his use of a 1961 Fender Stratocaster fed into valve-driven Fender Vibrolux and Twin Reverb amplifiers. Mobile Fidelity’s remaster brings out the wonderfully round quality and airy decay of that tube gear -- and this matters because much of the emotional impact of Knopfler’s playing was the result of his obsessive efforts to get the right tone. Whether it’s the blindingly fast staccato ricochet of his inventive fingerpicking or the subtle ringing of his damped harmonics, you haven’t heard the full measure of Knopfler’s incredible solos until you’ve listened to this Dire Straits. A great deal has been written on user forums and in reviews about what some perceive as the "darker sound" of Mobile Fidelity’s remastering projects. Given the virtually unlimited combinations of speakers, phono stages, cartridges and turntables used by those posting such comments, I take these characterizations with the proverbial grain of salt. Over the years, I’ve developed a great respect for the mastering talents of Mobile Fidelity’s Krieg Wunderlich, and the fruits of his labor on this title strike my ears as exceptionally balanced across the frequency band. The crystal clarity and sizzling snap I hear on my 41-year-old original Warner Brothers pressing are preserved, but Wunderlich and his team have unearthed more weight and muscular force from the master tapes. In spite of how many times I’ve listened to cuts like “Sultans of Swing,” the sheer physical impact of Wunderlich’s version makes even the most familiar passages fresh and invigorating. In a world full of questionable, cash-register-driven
reissues, Mobile Fidelity’s dead-quiet, ruler-flat, 45rpm version of Dire Straits
is nothing less than the sonic restoration of a masterpiece, and it’s worthy of the
spotlight in any passionate music-lover’s vinyl gallery. |
